Timing can be crucial when taking legal action, as one company recently found to its cost. The company had hired a firm of builders to carry out some roofing and cladding works at a new factory. A contract was agreed which stated that in the event of a dispute, no action could be taken after
The Government has joined forces with private enterprise to encourage budding entrepreneurs to set up new businesses. The ‘Business in You’ campaign highlights the support available for people wishing to start a new business or develop an existing one. A statement from the Department for Business Innovation & Skills says: “Small businesses are the lifeblood
Businesses can suffer irreparable damage when directors disagree over company policy. This is particularly true for new or small businesses. For example, if two directors have equal shares in a joint venture, settling disputes can become very difficult. At that point, just like many married couples, both sides may wish they had a business ‘pre-nup’
Prime Minister David Cameron has promised to “kill off the health and safety culture” which he says has become “an albatross around the neck of British businesses”. He says he wants to address “the fear from businesses of being sued for trivial or excessive claims”. The Government is now planning to change the law on
A firm of architects has won a dispute over fees after the High Court ruled that a letter it had sent to its client did amount to a written contract. The case arose after the architects agreed to carry out consultancy services for a local authority under a framework agreement. The work was to be
The Government wants businesses to be treated as customers rather than culprits when it comes to the enforcement of regulations and has put forward a number of proposals in response to its recent Transforming Regulatory Enforcement consultation, which set out how the Government wanted a more mature and open relationship with businesses in relation to
The Government has outlined plans to modernise UK copyright laws to encourage business growth and development. It has now begun a public consultation on its proposed measures which are based on recommendations in the Hargreaves Review of Intellectual Property and Growth. The proposals include: Creating an exception to allow limited acts of private copying –
The Background The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act provides that playing music on CD, radio on television at work is an infringement copyright. The owner of the rights may be entitled to a range of remedies including recovering damages for any losses or seeking an injunction to stop recordings being played. The infringer may even
All businesses which process personal data in an automated form (most commonly by inputting data onto a computer system) are obliged to notify the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) that they are data controllers, unless they fall into one of the exemptions under the legislation. Businesses which do not comply can face fines of up to
Business “common sense” should be applied when interpreting and applying commercial contracts, the Supreme Court has ruled. Delivering the ruling, Lord Clarke said: “If there are two possible constructions, the court is entitled to prefer the construction which is consistent with business common sense and to reject the other.” The issue arose in the case